The Wandering Samurai
by Charmeleon
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. This is an AU fic that may have OOCness. Take a look at Chapter 1 for the description of the story.
1. A Rescue Meeting

I was in Las Vegas when I thought of the idea for this fic. It's like this idea just wrapped around me and wouldn't let go until I let it out. I thought it was a good idea but I'll let you be the judge of that. This fic takes place in Ancient Japan. It has a little hint of Shaman King and DBZ. In this fic, Yugi is a young boy who has been abused by his parents since he was born. Yami is a great and highly respected warrior. Read along and see what happens as these two people from two different worlds if you will meet. Warning: Character death in this first chapter.  
' is thoughts 

Chapter 1: A Rescue Meeting

It was a stormy day in the Imperial Kingdom. The rain came down in torrents, and there was constant thunder and lightning to accompany the very heavy rain. It was also pretty windy as well. This wasn't the day for anyone to be out unless he/she had to. But there was one person who was very unfortunate to be out in a storm like this totally unprepared.

This person was a young boy. He was 12 years old. He had star-shaped hair that was black with red tips and blonde bangs. He had wide and childlike violet eyes. He was pretty short for his age at only 4 feet tall. His name was Yugi.

He was out in the storm because his parents sent him to get some groceries. The rain had caught him off guard actually. He managed to make it to the marketplace before the rain came down. But the storm started only five minutes after he made it to the marketplace. He had stayed under one of the marketplace's awnings for a good while.

'I knew that I should've brought my parasol,' Yugi thought.

Knowing that running wouldn't make much of a difference due to how hard it was raining, he started to walk through the drenching rain. Suddenly, a parasol dropped right in front of him. He picked up the parasol and looked around to see who could've dropped it.

'I wonder who dropped this,' he thought. He soon just shrugged and opened it up. 'Oh well, at least I won't get more soaked than I already am now. Hopefully I'll get to thank the person who gave this to me,' he thought as he continued his way home.

The person who dropped the parasol was secretly following Yugi. This person was a samurai. He had been secretly watching the young boy since he first saw the boy four years ago. This samurai looked like an older version of they boy. He had star-shaped hair that was black with red tips and blond bangs as well. But the samurai's hair was spikier than Yugi's was. Unlike Yugi's wide childlike violet eyes, the samurai had sharp-looking dark violet eyes. He was two feet taller than Yugi and was 20 years old.

This samurai was the most respected person in all of Japan. He was well known for helping the good people of Japan whenever the need came. Almost everyone in the country knew about him. Everyone who had the pleasure of seeing him perceived him as the a legendary warrior.

'I hope that I can meet that young boy soon. I would really want to get to know him,' the samurai thought.

When Yugi arrived home, he put the parasol where his parents wouldn't be able to see it. Yugi didn't have much of a good life unfortunately. His parents were very abusive toward him. They thought of him as the freak that no one would want to have to be responsible for. Even though they didn't have much respect for anyone else either, Yugi always got the worst end of the stick.

Yugi had to deal with the abuse everyday. It was either do what his parents said to the last detail, or he would be punished. The only relief he could get from his parents was when he went to stay with his grandfather Sugoroku(A/N: I will be using a couple of Anime names for this story). Sugoroku was very worried about his little grandson. His own son-in-law and daughter threatened to kill him if he took Yugi away from them. Talk about evil people.

Yugi had then entered the house. He looked at the time and paled considerably. Because of the sudden storm, he was half an hour late. One thing that his parents didn't like was tardiness. He thought about sneaking around the back and going to his room. But that thought was immediately out the window when his father came into the room.

"You're late you little runt. You know the consequence for being late," Mr. Motou said. He then grabbed Yugi's arm very roughly.

Yugi winced at how had his father grabbed him. Tears that had gathered in his eyes began to fall. He always wished that he wouldn't have to deal with this kind of torture. He would like to just be able to live with his grandfather. But he knew that his parents would carry out their threat to kill his grandfather. He took the beatings and shunning for the sake of his grandfather's safety.

'Someone please save me. I don't want to be in this house anymore,' Yugi helplessly thought.

But his father saw the tears. "Why are you crying? It doesn't matter. You'll have something to cry about when I'm done with you," he said. He then stripped Yugi before taking out a whip and lashing out at Yugi with it.

Yugi screamed in pain as the whip slashed across his bare skin. Every time Yugi would do something "wrong" according to his parents, his father would beat him with the whip. He screamed until he couldn't scream anymore. He then fainted from the intense pain that he felt. To add insult to injury, his father then kicked his bleeding body five times before just leaving Yugi lying on the floor.

What neither Yugi nor his father knew was that someone watched from a nearby window. He watched in anger upon seeing the helpless boy being mercilessly beaten. He would like nothing more than to take the boy away from such a heartless monster. But he could do nothing right now, which is what angered him the most. He never liked feeling helpless, which is exactly how he felt now. He then left without a sound. It was like he was never there.

"Next time you won't be late getting back here," Mr. Motou said upon returning to the room.

Yugi's tears fell faster now. He slowly and painfully went to his room. When in his room, he closed and locked his door. This was the only way he could have private time. He managed to get a lock put on his door when his parents were away on a business trip. He also had the only key that would open the lock. He dressed his wounds the best he could before putting on some more clothes and flopping on his bed. He then cried himself to sleep. He then remembered a story that his grandfather told him.

(Flashback)

"I would like to tell you a little story Yugi," Sugoroku said.

"What about Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"It's the story of a warrior known as the Wandering Samurai. It is said that this legendary warrior is the best in all of Japan. It is also said that this great warrior has spent his life helping others. That's why he is the most respected warrior in all of Japan," Sugoroku responded.

"Does he have a name?" Yugi asked.

"No one knows what his name is unfortunately," Sugoroku responded.

"Why is he called the Wandering Samurai?" Yugi asked.

"He never stays in one place for long my boy. He travels from place to place," Sugoroku responded.

(End Flashback)

'Maybe the samurai can help me,' Yugi thought.

Meanwhile, there was a heated argument going on downstairs. Sugoroku had come into the house. He was trying to negotiate a deal with his daughter. The deal was that Yugi would still be able to see her and her husband but he would live with Sugoroku. Sugoroku had had enough of Yugi being tortured like this for no reason and no longer cared about the threat Yugi's parents made.

"I thought I told you that you won't be taking Yugi away from us," Mrs. Motou said. "He is going to stay with us."

"So you can beat him for no good reason. I won't take it anymore. I can't believe that I have someone like you for a daughter. You and your husband are the most dishonorable people I've ever had to deal with in my life," Sugoroku retorted.

Mrs. Motou looked like she was ready to blow a gasket after hearingd that last statement. "How dare you call me dishonorable," she said angrily.

"Oh, like you can beat up your own son for no good reason. If that's considered honorable, then I would like to hear what is dishonorable," Sugoroku retorted again.

"If he would only do things right, then he wouldn't be getting beaten," Mrs. Motou said.

"If you weren't acting like such a tyrant perfectionist, then you would've realized that no one could get everything done exactly right. Even you aren't perfect. As a matter of fact, you're universally far from it," Sugoroku said.

"This conversation is over. Get out of our house," Mr. Motou then said.

"I've let you talk me down too much as well. I am not leaving until Yugi is with me and away from monstrous people like you," Sugoroku said.

In the argument, no one had noticed that Yugi had heard almost every word spoken. The voices had gotten so loud that he came out of his room to see what was going on. He watched in horror as his father took out a dagger and tied it to the end of the whip. Mr. Motou then reared the whip back and lashed it towards Sugoroku. Sugoroku barely evaded the whip.

"Yugi is going to stay with us. And you won't be able to do anything about it," Mr. Motou said before lashing the whip again.

This time, the whip hit its target. Sugoroku's eyes widened when he felt the dagger go through him. Mr. and Mrs. Motou smirked when the saw their father fall to the ground. Mr. Motou then removed the dagger from out of his father-in-law's body. Yugi couldn't take it anymore and rushed down the stairs to his grandfather. He didn't give his aching body a second thought.

"Now you will stay with us. If you tell anyone about this, you will be joining your grandfather," Mrs. Motou said.

"I'd kill myself first. I refuse to spend the rest of my life with heartless people like you," Yugi retorted(A/N: Go Yugi! ).

"Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me," Mrs. Motou said angrily.

"I'll take whatever voice I want with you. You aren't my mother. You're a demon," Yugi retorted again.

"You're asking for a serious beating you little brat," Mr. Motou said.

"I don't care anymore after you killed my grandfather you good for nothing snake in the grass. I hate both of you," Yugi retorted a third time.

"That's it kid. You're getting the beating of your life," Mr. Motous said as he prepared to lash the whip at Yugi.

"I have a better torture in mind dear. We'll disown him. We'll leave him to fend for himself," Mrs. Motou said.

"That is a great idea. We'll see how he handles being all alone with no one to help him," Mr. Motou said. "You have one hour to get your things and leave," he then told Yugi.

Yugi then went upstairs and gathered some of his personal belongings in a medium-sized bag. He took several pairs of clothes, pictures of him and his grandfather, and a few other necessary things. Then he came back downstairs and went out of the door. He was still on adrenaline so he didn't feelk his wounds. He opened up his parasol and went out into the storm. He couldn't stop his tears from flowing after watching the murder of his grandfather with his own eyes.

An hour later, Yugi had wandered into an alley. But this was not the place to be. A gang of thugs resided in this alley. Almost every unfortunate person to go through this alley was robbed and/or beaten. A few times, the gang even killed unsuspecting people. They only person who cleaned these thugs' clocks was the Wandering Samurai.

"Well, what do we have here?" one of the thugs asked.

Yugi looked at the gang fearfully. The thugs had him surrounded. One of them took his bag away and started going through it.

"What are you doing so far away from home?" a second thug asked mockingly.

"Don't you know what happens to those who come to this alley?" the first thug asked.

"Let's have fun with this little one," a third thug said.

Then the thugs closed in on Yugi. Then one of them proceeded to strip him. It was then that the thugs saw the bandages on him.

"It looks like the little one is hurt. Let's add onto his injury," a fourth thug said.

The other thugs laughed maliciously before each one had his way with the poor boy. But help was closer than the boy thought. A lone samurai just happened to be passing by. He heard a cry of pain and quickly made his way towards the source. He soon saw a gang of thugs. The thugs looked to be surrounding something. He quickly climbed a nearby building to get a better look of what was in the middle. He gasped when he saw that it was the young boy that he whad watched being beaten by the boy's father earlier. His surprise then turned to anger. He quickly took action.

The thug on the far right suddenly screamed as something smashed him against the head. He then fell unconscious. That caused the other thugs to take their attention off Yugi, which was just what the samurai hoped for. Using amazing speed and skill, the samurai took out all of the thugs. With the thugs taken care of, the samurai first picked up the boy's bag.

'Good, it appears as though nothing is missing. The thug apparently didn't see any of these things as valuable,' the samurai thought. He then walked over to the badly injured boy. He slowly slid his arms underneath the boy and slowly and gently picked the boy up.

Yugi then felt warm strong arms gently pick him up. He could see someone who looked almost just like him looking down at him. "Who...who are you?" he asked painfully. He felt his wounds a lot worse than ever since those thugs beat on him. He was soon unconscious from the pain before the person could respond to his question.

"You're safe now Little One," the samurai whispered. Then he left the alley and quickly made his way to one of his best friends' house.

This friend was a healer. No one in the country could heal better than her. The samurai made it to her house in practically no time. The woman was just getting dinner ready when she heard a knock at the door. She opened it and gasped in extreme worry upon seeing a severely wounded young boy in her friend's arms.

"Yami, what happened?" the woman asked.

"I'll explain later Mai. Right now, he needs to be healed," Yami responded.

Mai nodded and quickly ushered Yami into the house. Yami gently laid the boy on a futon and stepped away so Mai could heal the boy. Mai had been blessed with the power of healing. Within five minutes, she had completely healed Yugi.

Then Yami took a large shirt from out of Yugi's bag and put it on Yugi. The shirt was so big that it went below Yugi's knees. Then Yugi opened his eyes and saw a young woman with long blonde hair and violet eyes as well as the person who looked like him looking down at him.

"Are you all right Little One?' the look-alike asked.

"I'm fine now. But who are you and how am I all healed all of a sudden?" Yugi responded, noting that his look-alike had a pretty deep voice.

"I'm Mai. I have the power to heal. This is my best friend Yami. He brought you here for me to heal you," the blonde woman responded. "What's your name and how old are you?" she added.

"I'm Yugi and I'm 12 years old. What happened?" Yugi said.

"You were injured pretty badly. I was just passing by when I heard your cry of pain. I followed the direction of your cry and found you in deep trouble. I took care of the thugs and brought you here," Yami said.

Yugi then looked at Yami. Except for Yami having spikier hair with blond lightning-shaped bangs in the middle of his hair, sharper-looking eyes and being about two feet taller, he looked just like Yugi. Yami wore white robes. He wore a golden belt on his waist. A long thin sword was attached to the left side and the halves of a Bo staff(A/N: I'm having the staff be separable for this story) attached to the right side.

"Are you a samurai?" Yugi asked.

"Yes Yugi, I am a samurai," Yami responded.

"And he's the best in this country too," Mai said. "He has gone and made quite the name for himself. He is known to many as the Wandering Samurai."

That last statement peaked Yugi's excitement. "Are you really the Wandering Samurai?" he asked.

Yami smiled at Yugi's excitement. "Yes Little One, and I known as the Wandering Samurai. I have been secretly watching you for four years," he responded.

"Why aren't you at home with your parents?" Mai asked.

"I don't have parents anymore. They disowned me after my father killed my grandfather," Yugi responded sadly.

Yami and Mai were in shock and anger when they heard that. Then Yami went over and embraced Yugi. Yugi leaned into Yami's warm and protective embrace.

"If you'd like, then you can travel with me. I'm not called the Wandering Samurai for nothing you know," Yami said.

Yugi looked up at Yami and smiled. "I would love to travel with you," he said.

"Do you mind us staying here for the night Mai?" Yami asked.

"You know that it isn't any trouble Yami," Mai responded smiling.

"I think that Yugi has been in the rain too long today," Yami then said.

That last statement confused Yugi.

"How did you know how long I've been in the rain?" Yugi asked.

"I saw you in the marketplace earlier. I was the one who dropped the parasol in front of you. You weren't able to see me because I left just after I dropped it in front of you," Yami responded.

Yugi smiled again. "Thank you. It prevented me from getting more soaked than I already was," he said.

"It was no trouble at all Little One. I also followed you home in case somebody tried to do something unpleasant to you. I was getting ready to leave when I saw your pathetic excuse for a father mercilessly beat you up. I wished nothing more than to be able to take you away then and there. But you're in good hands now," Yami said.

"Thank you Yami," Yugi said.

The rain had stopped a few hours after nightfall. After having dinner, which consisted of noodles, vegetables and rice, Mai led Yami and Yugi to an empty room. Yami helped Mai set up a couple of futons. The futons were side by side. Yugi soon got into the futon on the right.

"When are we going to leave tomorrow?" Yugi asked.

"We'll leave in the afternoon. After all you've been through today, I think that you'll really need a good night's sleep," Yami responded.

Yugi nodded before settling down and falling asleep. Yami smiled at the sleeping boy.

'I'll protect you Yugi. I give you my word as a samurai. And a samurai's word is very rarely broken,' Yami thought before he also fell asleep.

Well, here's the end of the first chapter to this new story. What do you think so far? I actually have the second chapter ready to be updated. Oh, and sorry for having Yugi's grandfather die, but it went along with my plans for this story. Moving right along, preview for Chapter 2: Yami's Secret: Yami and Yugi start on their way. They make their way through a dangerous forest. It's in this forest that Yami reveals a secret to Yugi that even his best friends do not know. What is this secret and why is the forest so dangerous? You'll have to stay tuned to find out.


	2. Yami's Secret

Recap: Yugi got caught in a storm that suddenly hit the area and was late arriving home. He got whipped pretty bad because of it. Things got much worse because Yugi watched the murder of his grandfather. Then his parents disowned him. He was on his own. He made the mistake of going into an alley that a gang of thugs hung around. When things looked like they would keep getting worse, a legendary samurai came to Yugi's aid. Then the samurai took Yugi to his friend's house where Yugi was healed. It was there that Yugi learned that the legendary samurai's name was Yami.  
' is thoughts

Chapter 2: Yami's Secret

It was a calm and clear night. A brutal strom had hit the Imperial Kingdom and stayed persistent for most of the day. But this night was the start of a better life for Yugi. He had been through a lot just earlier today. Not only did his parents mercilessly beat him, but his father also killed his grandfather in cold blood. Then Yugi got disowned and was forced to leave. As he passed an alley, a gang of thugs attacked him. But the one that many people know as the Wandering Samurai rescued him. The samurai then took Yugi to a friend's house where he was healed.

Yuig then found out that the samurai's name was Yami. Yugi and Yami are currently sleeping at Yami's friend Mai's house. For Yugi, this was his first peaceful night. The next morning, Yugi woke up completely refreshed and saw Yami standing next to the window. Yugi then got out of the futon which alerted Yami. Yami turned around and smiled at the now awake Yugi.

"Good morning," Yami said.

"Good morning," Yugi said.

"How do you feel?" Yami asked.

"I feel a lot better," Yugi responded. "How long have you been up?" he added.

"I was up since about the crack of dawn. One thing that I got used to as a samurai is to be a light sleeper and an early riser. You never know when danger will strike," Yami responded. "The bath is two doors down on the left," he added.

"But I don't have my bag. All my things were in it," Yugi said.

Yami simply left the room. He soon came back holding a bag in his hand. "Here you go," he said.

"Thank you very much," Yugi said as he took the bag from Yami and went into the bath. He spent half an hour in the bath because this was the first time that he could just relax while taking a bath. He would usually be very comfortable since he would usually always have gashes all across his body due to his father's whippings.

After his bath, he got dressed and went into the front. He found Yai and Mai waiting for him. There were three bowls of steaming rice on the table. He took a seat next to Yami. Then he, Yami and Mai ate their breakfast in silence. Something has been bugging Yami since last night. Mai saw the distant look on Yami's face.

"What is it Yami?" Mai asked.

"I just wanted to know why your grandfather was killed Yugi. Something doesn't add up yet," Yami responded.

Tears started falling from Yugi's eyes upon hearing that. He really didn't feel up to talking about that yet.

"If it depresses you so much, then you don't have to talk about it. I'll be ready to listen whenever you are ready to talk about it though," Yami said.

"Thank you Yami," Yugi said smiling as he wiped his eyes.

"Don't worry. You're under my protection now. I give you my word on it," Yami said.

The morning went by quickly. Early that afternoon, Yami prepared to leave. He had removed this sword and staff to be comfortable on the futon. He now had them back on this belt. Yugi simply picked up his bag and followed Yami out of the door. The two friends then went on their way. An hour later, they started through a forest.

"What is it like to be a samurai?" Yugi asked.

"That depends on your point of view. To me, it was the best decision that I ever made. I love to help people and I felt that becoming a samurai would really allow me to help to the fullest of my abilities," Yami responded.

"Was the training difficult?" Yugi then asked.

"It was at times. But it was well worth it to me. Most of the time, I didn't even think about how difficult the training was. Having the way of the samurai in my mind is what always drove me through the difficult parts of becoming one. A samurai is to always be loyal, well disciplined, trustworthy, honest and have a good sense of justice. When I first heard that, I knew that becoming a samurai was right for me," Yami responded.

Then there was silence between the two. No more words needed to be spoken for right now. They were just enjoying the tranquility of the clear and sunny day. Well, Yugi was enjoying the tranquil day at least. Yami was on edge. He just sensed an evil presence nearby. One thing about Yami that even his best friends didn't know is that he is a spirit medium, meaning that he can see and sense spirits.

There were three evil spirits following Yami and Yugi. Yugi walked on like normal because he couldn't see the spirits. Yami gripped his staff in case he needed to make a quick strike. His Bo staff was not just an ordinary wooden stick though. It was a staff made by the gods themselves. The gods were very pleased with Yami and presented the staff to him. In addition to being a weapon to use against people and/or animals, the staff had the power to destroy evil spirits. Since the gods formed the staff, nothing could break it.

Another thing about Yami that even his best friends didn't know was that he could fly. He had actually learned how to fly through the use of Ki energy. A samurai didn't have to learn Ki energy, but Yami felt that it would only let him be able to help others more. It took a while, but he was able to master how to use Ki energy. He had become pretty strong both physically and in Ki energy.

It took another great deal of time for him to learn to fly using the energy, but he was able to master it. But he only flew when he felt it was necessary. He was pretty fast on the ground and in the air when he wanted to be. That's how he was able to quickly get Yugi to Mai's house. If not for his great speed, he wouldn't have made it to his friend's house in time.

'We need to get out of this forest soon. I can feel more evil spirits dwelling nearby,' Yami thought.

There were indeed more evil spirits in this forest. Five years ago, corrupt spirits had escaped from the spirit realm and had mostly gathered in this forest. These spirits would often possess unsuspecting people. Right now, the corrupt spirits felt a divine power coming from the staff on Yami's belt.

Then one of the spirits headed straight for Yugi, intending to possess him. Yami quickly removed half of his Bo staff from his belt and whacked the spirit with it. Yugi turned upon hearing something being hit. He saw Yami holding one half of the Bo staff. He followed Yami's line of sight to see the now visible spirit. It literally looked like a zombie.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked.

Yami took a protective stance in front of Yugi. Then he removed the other half of his staff an joined both halves together. A divine light then shone from the staff. Yugi had to shield his eyes from the brightness of the light. A few moments later, the light dimmed out. Yugi looked up and was now able to see some of the other spirits lurking in the forest. Yami held his staff out in front of him and started spinning it.

A divine wind came out of the staff. The wind pierced through the spirits, blowing them into oblivion. Then Yami stopped spinning his staff, and the wind stopped. Yami then separated his staff and attached the halves to his belt again.

"What were those?" Yugi asked.

"A reason why I'm glad about a gift that I have," Yami responded.

"What gift is that?" Yugi asked.

"I'm a spirit medium. That means that I can see and sense spirits. The spirits that haunt this forest are evil ones. One of them tried to possess you, but I took care of it. The staff you see on my belt is a magical staff. It has the power to destroy evil spirits and is unbreakable. It was given to me by the gods themselves," Yami responded.

"That's pretty amazing," Yugi said.

"We need to get moving. There are a lot more evil spirits here, and they are active during the day. The sooner we are out of here, the better off we'll be," Yami said before he continued walking.

Yugi was right alongside Yami. Yami kept a secure grip on the halves of his staff in case he needed to act quickly. Two hours later, they were out of the forest and into the village of the Sun clan. One of the clan members saw Yami and excitedly went to get the leader. The leader came out and warmly greeted Yami.

"It's a pleasure to have you visit us again great warrior," the leader said bowing.

"It's always good to see you and your clan," Yami said before he also bowed.

Then the leader noticed Yugi. "And who might this young one be? He almost looks just like you," he said.

"This is my friend Yugi," Yami said. "Yugi, this is Chang, leader of the Sun clan."

"Pleased to meet you," Yugi said bowing.

"Any friend of the great warrior is a friend of ours," Chang said.

"Please call me Yami. That is my name," Yami said.

"All right Yami," Chang said smiling.

Yugi was tired after having to walk three hours without a good enough break between. He sat down in front of one of the huts. Yami sat down next to him. Then they watched as the clan memebers danced to their sun goddess. The dancing lasted until the sun began to set. then Yami and Yugi enjoyed a feast. Then Yami went off into the forest where the evil spirits dwelled. As he told Yugi though, the evil spirits were active only during the day.

This forest was safe to hang around during the night. Yami always tried to go through this forest at night. That way, he didn't have to worry about fighting off the supernatural. This forest sometimes served as a meditation spot for him. He then sat down cross-legged before closing his eyes and beginning to meditate. Meanwhile, Yugi had just noticed Yami gone.

'I wonder where Yami went,' Yugi thought. He then went off into the forest.

Yami felt Yugi coming into the forest. "I'm not that far ahead Yugi," he said, knowing that Yugi was looking for him.

Yugi followed the voice's direction and soon found Yami sitting Indian-style on the ground; Yami was now looking at him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm meditating. It helps me to clear my mind," Yami responded. "You can stay if you like," he added.

"But what about the spirits that live here? And won't I just be a distraction?" Yugi asked.

"They are only active during the day. It's safe to be here during the night. I know that that's unusual since spirits are typically active during the night, but the spirits of this forest don't go lurking about at night. And no, you won't be a distraction," Yami responded before going back into meditation.

Yugi sat with his back to a tree. The tree was not that far ahead of Yami. An hour later, Yugi had fallen asleep. Yami had finished meditating. He opened his eyes and saw Yugi alseep with his back against a tree. Yami smiled before walking over to Yugi and gently picking him up. Then Yami carried Yugi back to the village.

"You can sleep in my hut if you like," Chang said quietly.

"Are you sure that it won't be any trouble?" Yami quietly asked.

"It's no trouble at all. I have the room," Chang responded.

"All right," Yami said smiling. He then carried Yugi into the hut. He then placed Yugi down to help Chang set up a few futons. He then put Yugi down on one before removing his staff and sword. He then lay on another futon. "Pleasant dreams Little One," Yami whispered in Yugi's ear before going into a light doze.

But this night was not going to be entirely peaceful. Halfway through the night, an intruder had come into the village. This intruder was from a rival clan. The intruder immediately went into the Sun leader's hut. He immediately spotted the sleeping clan leader. But he also noticed a young boy in the hut as well. The intruder went over to Yugi, but was knocked back before he knew it.

The only source of light in the hut was the moonbeam tht shone through the window. That's how the intruder saw Yugi and the clan leader. Yami had sensed the intruder coming and immediately took to the shadows of the hut before the intruder came into the hut. The intruder looked around to find whoever hit him, but Yami was completely concealed in the shadows.

'Now to quickly take care of this unwanted guest,' Yami said.

The intruder then took a spear out an was about to stab Yugi with it. From out of nowhere, a sword sliced the spear in half. The pointed half of the spear fell harmlessly to the ground a good distance away from Yugi. Before the intruder could do anything else, he felt something smash him against the head. The intruder fell unconscious. Yami found some rope nearby and tied the intruder up with it. Afterwards, he sheathed his sword before laying it next to his futon. Then he settled down and went back to sleep.

The rest of the night was peaceful. Yami was the first one up the next morning. He looked at the tied up intruder and saw that the intruder was still out cold. About an hour later, Yugi and the clan leader awakened. They soon saw the tied up and still unconscious person.

"Who's that?" Yugi asked.

"He's from the Fire clan. The Fire clan has always given us trouble," Chang responded. "Yami has helped us deal with them a few times."

"He snuck in here last night and tried to kill Yugi. It's a good thing that I'm a light sleeper," Yami said. "We need to move on. I don't want Yugi and me to be the cause of unwanted trouble," he added.

"At least have something to eat before you go," Chang suggested.

"I am pretty hungry," Yugi said.

"All right, we'll eat before we leave," Yami said.

Early in the afternoon, Yugi and Yami were on their way again. The Sun clan had given them some food and supplies to take with them.

"Those are pretty nice people," Yugi said, walking with a Bo staff that the clan leader gave to him.

Unlike Yami's Bo staff, the staff that Yugi carried was just an ordinary wooden stick. It also couldn't separate like Yami's could.

"Yes they are. I visit them whenever I can. But it mostly turns into anything but a friendly visit because rival clans always cause them unwanted trouble," Yami said.

"I wish I could defend myself. That way, you wouldn't ahve to all the time," Yugi then said.

"I could teach you if you'd like. It will become easy once you've learned the basics," Yami said.

"I would like that," Yugi said smiling.

"Do you want to learn how to use a weapon as well?" Yami asked.

"As long as it isn't anything sharp," Yugi responded.

Yami chuckled a little. "Very well. I'll show you how to use your Bo staff," he said. "Using a Bo staff is actually quite easy once you get the hang of it."

Then Yami and Yugi continued on in silence. A few hours later, they stopped in a woodland area. This spot was clear of trees and vegetation, the perfect spot for a little fire without having to worry about it catching onto something. Yami then started a small campfire.

At sunset, they ate some of the food that the Sun clan gave to them. A few hours later, they prepared to sleep. Yami put the fire out before taking out two long quilts from the bag of supplies. Yugi then helped him lay them flat on the ground. The quilts were long enough to pose as sleeping bags.

"So, when will I start training?" Yugi asked.

"You'll start in the morning. For now, let's get some sleep. You're going to need to be fully rested," Yami responded before lying down on the left quilt. He then covered himself with it.

Yugi then lay down on the right quilt and covered himself with it. Then he and Yami fell asleep. This would be a peaceful night in the woods. For tomorrow would be the first day of Yugi's training.

Well, here's the end of chapter two. Now you know more about Yami and why the forest was so dangerous to be in during the daytime. Preview for Chapter 3: The Unwanted Meeting: Yami begins to train Yugi in self defense. But they'll have to deal with unwanted trouble from three sources. But the third unwanted source of trouble is the worst. What is it? You'll have to stay tuned for the answer. 


	3. The Unwanted Meeting

Recap: Yugi had the first night of true peace at Mai's house. He also enjoyed his first relaxing bath there. Then that afternoon, he and Yami started out on their way. They had the misfortune of going through a forest haunted by evil spirits. One tried to possess Yugi, but Yami easily dealt with it and took out a few more as well. It was then that Yugi learned that Yami could see and sense spirits and about why Yami's staff was able to take out the evil spirits. They then found themselves in the Sun clan village. It wasn't entirely peaceful because an intruder from the Fire clan tried to kill Yugi. But Yami dealt with the intruder. Now Yami and Yugi are sleeping in the woods.  
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Chapter 3: The Unwanted Meeting

Yami and Yugi slept on through the peaceful night. The next morning, they had woken up to the sun shining in their faces. Yugi sat up and stretched. Then he undressed and bathed in the nearby pond. Yami then handed him a towel before undressing, revealing a muscular but lean body. Then he bathed in the pond, washing his robe as well. The robe dried off half an hour later, and Yami put it back on. Then he and Yugi folded up their quilts before Yami put them back in the bag. Then they had a quick breakfast. Half an hour later, the fist training session began.

"All right Yugi. The first rule is to always try to just walk away. But there will be certain situations that you're going to have to do something in order to be able to walk away. I will show you the basic things as well as some moves that will help you get away in those situations. The first thing you have to know is the proper way to make a fist," Yami said before holding out his arm and closing his fist. He had his thumb across his other four fingers. "See how my knuckles are all showing? It's important to have your knuckles showing because it's your knuckles that should hit the attacker."

Yugi then held out his left arm and closed his hand into a fist. He just about had it. There was a small mistake though. His thumb was covering two of his knuckles. He looked at the fist he made before looking back to the one Yami made. He quickly corrected his mistake and soon made a proper fist.

"Very good Yugi. The next thing you need to know is how to stand and where to position your hands when you're defending yourself. In other words, a stance," Yami said. He then stood with his right foot behind his left foot. His had his feet shoulder width apart and perpendicular to where he was facing. He then had his left arm bent like someone holding a baton in a marching band, with his fist at eye level, and his right arm bent in a 90 degree angle across his stomach; his right arm was about several inches away from his stomach. "This is known as a fighting stance.

You don't always have to have your right foot in back. In cases with a group of people trying to hurt you, you'll have to switch your feet around to be able to defend yourself better," Yami said before switching so that his left foot was the back foot. His right arm was now the arm in the front. Then he switched again so thathis right foot was the back foot again. Yugi imitated what Yami did. But when he tried to switch, his feet slid into each other. He would've had a nasty collision with the ground if not for Yami catching him. Yami then set Yugi straight up again.

"That didn't go too well did it? Are you all right?" Yami asked.

"I'm okay. Thank you," Yugi responded.

"Let's try it again," Yami said before going back into the fighter's stance with his right foot as the back foot.

Yugi then went back into the stance. Yami then switched twice again. This time, he did it in slow motion. Yugi saw exactly how Yami did it. This time, Yugi switched without losing his balance. He then switched again.

"Why is it important how I have my arms?" Yugi asked.

"I'm glad you asked that. Having your arms like this is important because you'll be able to quickly block a punch or kick that someone tries to throw your way," Yami responded. "Come to about your arm's length with me and throw a punch at my face," he added.

Yugi thought Yami was crazy. "I don't want to hurt you," he said.

"Trust me Yugi. You won't hurt me," Yami said.

Yugi was still skeptical. He came up to his arm's length of Yami's face and threw a punch. Yami quickly moved his left arm to an upside-down 90 degree angle, blocking Yugi's punch. Yugi just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"I told you that you wouldn't hurt me Yugi. But you got to be careful. You left yourself wide open. **Never** leave yourself open when you're defending yourself. Your entire body was opened to me. If were an enemy, then I could've punched and/or kicked you in the stomach. I could've also punched and/or kicked you in the face, or aimed for your lower body. One then about people who have ill intentions is that they will do whatever it takes to bring you down, even if it means to go for your lower body," Yami said.

For an hour, Yami had showed Yugi some blocks as well as a few punches and kicks. Yugi had a pretty tough time with the kicks. But that's normal for a beginner. He would get it in due time.

"This is pretty hard," Yugi said.

"This is only your first time Yugi. It will get easier the more you do it. You're doing great so far," Yami said. "We'll continue later. I can see that you need to rest," he added.

Yugi nodded and sat down right were he was. He was pretty tired. But he knew that he would get the hang of learning to defend himself in a matter of time. He would train for as long as necessary. But he would have some much-unwanted company in the near future. His parents, or should I say his ex-parents, felt that disowning Yugi was a mistake on their part. They were now looking for him. But the reason was far from a good one. When they found Yugi, they were going to literally beat him to death.

"I'm sorry dear. You were right in the decision to give that annoying little brat the beating of his life," Mrs. Motou said.

"All is forgiven my dear. I just want to hear that little runt scream when I beat him with my whip," Mr. Motou said.

But they wouldn't have it easy. Especially when they find out that their former son has the Wandering Samurai for a traveling partner. They had never believed in the stories about a samura who helped just out of the goodness of his own heart. To them, a person like that didn't even exist. But this was coming from the minds of two people who don't have much respect for others.

Two hours later, Yugi and Yami were on their way again. Now too long afterwards, they were surrounded. About a dozen members of the Fire clan had spotted them on their way to attack the Sun clan. Yami had joined the halves of his staff together. This time, a bright light didn't shine out of the staff because there were no invisible spirits to deal with. Two of the men had lunged for Yami.

One of them tried to spear Yami. Yami blocked every lunge of the spear with his staff before whacking the guy in the head and taking the guy's legs from under him. The guy found himself face up on the ground. Yami then dodged to the right. The second guy had a dagger. Yami used his staff to disarm the guy. Then he punched the guy in the face before whacking him with the staff as well. The guy was unconscious on the ground.

"Anyone else want to try me? I'm not in the mood for this," Yami said irritably.

Another guy of the Fire clan managed to snatch Yugi away. But he didn't get too far. He soon found Yami right in front of him. Yami's speed had greatly surprised Yugi. Yugi didn't know that Yami was that fast. Just as quickly, Yami knocked the guy out with a roundhouse kick to the face. He then gave a defiant look to the rest of the clan surrounding him and Yugi. He then spun his staff while moving it between his hands before he held it behind his back. He looked to the other clan members, daring them to try something.

The clan members still conscious took the hint. They took their unconscious members and fled as quickly as they could. When they were out of sight, Yami separated his staff and put the halves on his belt again. He then turned to look at the still stunned Yugi.

"How are you that fast?" Yugi was able to ask even though he was still pretty stunned.

"That is a story for another time Yugi. But we have a longer journey ahead of us now. The next village is the Fire clan's village. I know a way around it," Yami responded.

"I don't care how long it takes. I don't want to see another one of those people," Yugi said.

Yami led Yugi down another path in the woods. When Yugi got tired, Yami picked him up and quickly ran through the woods. That way, they made faster progress. They had stopped near a lake a couple of hours later. At nightfall, Yugi and Yami had eaten from some fruit trees that were nearby. Yami had climbed the tree and picked some fruit out of it. A couple of hours afterward, Yugi just fell asleep where he was.

Yami then joined the halves of his staff together and let it float from out of his hands. In addition to destroying evil spirits, the staff also served as a method of protection. The staff had created an invisible force field over Yami and Yugi. Yami then went to sleep himself. Some more members of the Fire clan did try to attack, but the staff prevented any attacks. The clan members gave up and returned to their village.

The rest of the night was peaceful. The next morning, Yami woke up and took his staff. The protective field disappeared, and Yami separated his staff. Then he awakened Yugi. Then they bathed in the lake. After drying off, they ate some more of the fruit. Then they continued on their way out of the Fire clan's area.

By midday, they were out of the Fire clan's territory and into another forest. But this forest wasn't haunted like the other one was. After resting for a few hours, Yami continued to train Yugi. It was a review of yesterday's training in addition to Yami showing Yugi some new moves. Yugi had gotten the hang of a few kicks that he learned yesterday a little. Btu he overall still didn't have it down yet. An hour and a half later, Yugi rested again.

"When will I learn how to use my staff?" Yugi asked.

"Patience Yugi, I will teach you to how to use your staff in due time. But it's more important that you learn to use your body to defend yourself first. In the case that someone disarms you, you'll need to know how to defend yourself using your body," Yami responded. "I had to learn how to used my body as a means of attack and defense ebfore I learned how to use weapons."

Meanwhile, Yugi's former parents were slowly making progress through the terrain. His ex-parents knew how to survive in the outdoors because their jobs had them in the outdoors. It was just a matter of time now before they finally found Yugi.

Back with Yugi and Yami, Yugi had practiced the moves that he had been taught so far. After resting for an hour after training with Yami, Yugi decided to practice the moves he was taught so far on his own. He nearly fell every time he attempted the roundhouse kick. But Yami kept preventing the otherwise assured nasty collisions with the ground. The reason why Yugi kept falling is because he was kicking out at his face level.

"You're trying to kick too high. That's why you keep losing your balance. For now, just kick parallel to your stomach level. You'll be able to kick at face level without losing your balance in due time," Yami said.

Yugi nodded and did as Yami said. He had no more trouble with balance. It didn't take too long for him to get the hang of the roundhouse kick. Then he moved on to the other moves. After an hour, he rested again.

"You're doing well Yugi. You still need a lot more practice, but you're getting better. That's enough training for today. We'll resume tomorrow," Yami said.

Yugi nodded. Then Yami took out the quilts for them to rest on. Yami then went to the lake and unsheathed his sword. He then used it like a spear. He ended up catching five salmon on his sword. He then pulled his sword out of the lake and took the now dead fish off before cleaning his sword and sheathing it. He found some twigs nearby and put the fish on them. Then he started a small fire.

Then he and Yugi cooked the fish on the fire. They had fish and some more fruit for dinner. A few hours later, they went to sleep again. But the night wouldn't be entirely peaceful again. This time, the danger would come from an animal of the forest. Yugi and Yami had unintentionally invaded a black bear's territory.

Any kind of bear was protective of its territory. Yugi and Yami awoke to a low and menacing growl. Yami quickly stood up and picked up his staff. He then joined the halves together. He had his staff at the ready position in case he needed to strike. Soon, the bear charged for Yami and quickly slashed at him. Yami evade the slash but was disarmed of his staff. His sword was still on the ground.

Thinking that Yami was now defenseless, the bear swiped at him again. Yami simply caught the bear's paw in an iron grip, but he didn't leave himself open for the bear to attack. The bear tried to wrench its paw free, but Yami had the stronger grip. Yami then kicked the bear in the stomach before easily throwing it twenty feet. That had surprised Yugi even more.

But that move had also seemed to only anger the bear more. It stood up again and lunged for Yugi. Yugi was too scared to move. He suddenly felt a gust of wind, as the bear was only about two feet away from him. Yugi looked down to see the bear far below him now. He then felt the wind in his face as well as familiar arms holding him Bridal style. He looked up into the familiar eyes of Yami. He then looked between Yami and the ground about ten times.

"Y-You can fly! But how?" Yugi was finally able to say.

"Don't worry Yugi. All will be revealed when the time is right," Yami said. He then looked down to see that the bear had left. Then he landed and placed Yugi back down on the quilt.

Luckily, their things were still unaccounted for. So as not to take any more chances, Yami's staff floated upwards and created the protective force field again. He and Yugi went back to sleep and slept peacefully the remainder of the night. The next morning, the protective field disappeared, and Yugi and Yami had a quick bite to eat. Then they got their things together and moved on. They found themselves in another village in a couple of hours.

"What is this village?" Yugi asked.

"This is the village of the Moon clan Yugi. The Moon clan is like a sister clan to the Sun clan. The members of both clans get along exceptionally well," Yami responded.

The clan leader then came out. The clan leader of the Moon clan was a woman. She had pale skin, long flowing white hair, and crystal blue eyes. Although she had white hair, she was a young woman. She was wearing a very dark blue kimono. Her kimono had an imprint of the moon and stars on the back. She felt honored to have the legendary warrior visit her again. She then walked towards Yami and Yugi. Yugi spotted the woman first.

"Who is she Yami?" Yugi asked.

Yami looked up and saw the woman approaching. "That's Hikari(A/N: Not Kari from Digimon), leader of the Moon clan. She's very nice and has a gentle personality," Yami responded.

Soon, Hikari was upon Yami and Yugi before Yami bowed. "It's an honor to have you visit us again Yami," she said bowing. She had overheard Yugi's question to Yami.

"It's good to see your and your people again. Hikari, I would like you to meet Yugi," Yami said.

"Nice to meet you," Hikari said with a bow.

"Nice to meet you too," Yugi said bowing.

"Would you like to play with the other children?" Hikari asked Yugi.

"I would love too," Yugi responded before another clan member led him to where the other children were.

The other children stopped what they were doing when they saw Yugi. They saw how much he looked like the great warrior that always filled their dreams. Yugi then introduced himself before he began to play with them. The children's parents smiled as they watched their children play with their new friend. But his playtime would not last much longer.

A couple of hours later, Yugi's ex-parents found themselves on the outskirts of the Moon clan's village. They wasted no time in getting the information out of the memebers. Yugi's ex-father had his whip at the ready. Because the clan didn't fight whatsoever, they were forced to tell them where Yugi was.

Half an hour later, Yugi's ex-parents found Yugi playing with some other children. Yugi just happened to look up. He paled in fear when he saw the two people that he never wanted to see again. Noticing Yugi's expression, the children and their parents knew that he did not want to go with these people.

"We finally found you ya little runt. Prepare for the beating of your life," Mr. Motou said.

"I refuse to go with you," Yugi said fearfully.

"Oh, but you'll have no choice. We are your parents. We disowned you but now we have come to take you back," Mrs. Motou said.

Mr. Motou then tried to grab Yugi. Yugi tried to get away, but his parents blocked his path. Then he got into a fighter's stance just like Yami showed him. Mr. Motou then lashed the whip and Yugi, but Yugi caught it. But that wasn't a really good thing because Mr. Motou was stronger. He pulled at the whip and soon had a tight grip around Yugi. Yugi tried to scream, but his mouth was quickly covered.

"There's nothing you or anyone can do now," Mr. Motou said as he and Mrs. Motou left the village with an unwilling Yugi.

When Yugi's ex-parents were out of hearing range, one parent said to her child," Find Yami."

The little child nodded. She then ran through the village. The village was a large one. Yami was in the center of the village talking with Hikari.

"So, how did you meet Yugi?" Hikari asked.

"It wasn't on the lightest of notes. I rescued him from a gang of thugs. He was badly hurt so I took him to my best friend Mai's house. Mai is a healer," Yami responded.

Half an hour later, the little girl made it to the center of the village. "Yami! Yami!" she shouted out of breath.

Yami and Hikari turned and saw the little girl.

"There's...a...big...problem," the little girl said between pants.

"Whoa Small One, you need to catch your breath. Then tell me what the problem is," Yami said.

It took half an hour for the little girl to completely catch her breath because she had been running as fast as she could. Then she said, "The other kids and I were having a great time with Yugi when two people I never saw before came up to us. The man had a whip in his hand. It appeared that Yugi knew them. The fear in his eyes was like none I've ever seen before.

The woman then said that she and the man used to be Yugi's parents. Yugi tried to get away from them, but they blocked him. The man tried to lash out at Yugi with the whip, but Yugi caught it. But the man was stronger and easily took Yugi. Then they left."

Yami's blood ran cold upon hearing that. "Oh no," he said worriedly

"What is it?" Hikari asked.

"I found out firsthand about Yugi's former parents. Several days ago at the marketplace in the Imperial Kingdom, I saw Yugi getting some groceries. But he wasn't prepared for the suddden storm. I had my parasol and secretly dropped it in front of him because I really don't use it anyway. Then I secretly followed him how in case someone tried to attack him.

When he was safely inside his house, I prepared to leave. But my instincts were telling me that something bad was about to happen. My instincts have never been wrong so I stayed for a while longer. They proved to be right again because I watched Yugi's former father beat up Yugi with a whip for no good reason," Yami responded.

"Well there's no time to lose then. You must go now," Hikari said.

Yami was off into the sky the second after Hikari said that. Hikari and the clan members that saw Yami take off just stood there in shock and amazement.

'Hold on Yugi. I'm on my way,' Yami though as he flew on to find and rescue Yugi.

Meanwhile, Yugi's former parents had taken Yugi deep into the forest. They were deep in the forest, but a good distance away from the Fire clan. Yugi's wrists and feet were bound tightly with a thick rope.

"Now you'll get the beating that I've waited to give you. And no one is going to do anything about it," Mr. Motou said. He then snapped his whip twice before lashing out at Yugi with it with more force than he would normally do.

The increased force of the whiplashes tore away at Yugi's clothing. Yugi screamed in intense pain as the whip left deep gashes in his now bare skin. His former parents just smirked in pleasure in hearing Yugi's screams. They wanted to hear Yugi scream until he forever couldn't scream anymore. It was now a race to save him.

Meanwhile, Yami was getting closer to the area where Yugi was being mercilessly beaten. He was determined to stop Yugi's former parents. About half an hour later, he could hear Yugi's cries of pain. Hearing those excruciating cries only increased his anger. He looked down and saw that he was right over the area where Yugi was being beaten. He landed right behind a tree that was a few feet away. Yugi was now fighting to stay conscious.

Yugi's former father was having a field day. He was about to deliver the blow that would kill Yugi. He reared back the whip, but he couldn't lash it out. He tried tugging on it, but something held it back. He looked back and into Yami's angry glare.

"Who the devil are you?" Mr. Motou asked.

"My name is of no concern to a heartless monster like you. You're the one who's the devil," Yami responded angrily.

Mr. Motou treid to get the whip back from Yami, but Yami's grip was much stronger. Yami ended up taking the whip from Mr. Motou.

"You won't be doing anymore harm with this," Yami said before throwing it up. He quickly unsheathed his sword and sliced the whip in half as the whip came down. He then sheathed his sword again

The halves of the now damaged whip fell to the ground. Mr. Motou just looked angry with Yami.

"You'll pay for that you punk," Mr. Motou said, charging for Yami. He only succeeded in running right into Yami's now extended fist. He doubled over in pain because the fist was aimed at his stomach. He recovered though and tried to punch Yami back.

Yami simply ducked or blocked all Mr. Motou's punches. He didn't notice Mrs. Motou take Yugi and climb up the tallest tree in the forest. She then sat on the edge of the branch. Yami then removed his staff from his belt and joined the halves together. Mr. Motou then took out a dagger and lunged at Yami with it. Yami simply showed great skill and either dodged or blocked the dagger.

Yami then disarmed Mr. Motou yet again before delivering some quick justice on the man. He first poked the monstrous man in the stomach before whacking the man in the face. To finish the job, Yami planted his staff in the ground like a pole-vaulter would and kicked the man in the face. Mr. Motou was on the ground unconscious.

"That takes care of him," Yami said.

"And I'll take care of the run," a female voice said.

Yami looked up. Mrs. Motou was a little too high for him to see her. But he could hear her loud and clear.

"Don't try to climb if you don't want me to drop the little runt. With the injuries that he got, he'll die for sure when he hits the ground," Mrs. Motou continued.

Yami only smirked. The woman was in for a big surprise. He lifted off the ground and flew up towards where she was holding Yugi hostage. He soon made it to where she was. For a while, Mrs. Motou could only look in shock. She wasn't expecting that Yami could fly.

"How are you able to fly?" Mrs. Motou demanded.

"You've lost your marbles if you think that I'm going to tell a demon like you," Yami retorted.

But Mrs. Motou would have herself to worry about. She had unfortunately chosen the weakest branch on the tree to sit on, and it was starting to break. She heard it first and mentally smirked. Then she left Yugi on the branch and started climbing down the tree.

'What is she trying to do?' Yami thought. He soon found out because then he heard the branch breaking. Before he could react, the branch completely broke, sending Yugi plunging to the ground below. "Yugi!" he cried. He dove after Yugi and soon caught him Bridal style. Then he landed on the ground.

Mr. Motou had regained consciousness and now had one half of the whip in his hand. "You're going to pay for humiliating me you punk," he said before rearing the whip back.

Even though the whip had been sliced in half, the half was still long. Yami unwrapped an arm from under Yugi's knees and held it straight out. A small beam of aqua energy began to form. Mr. Motou then lashed out the whip half. A small beam of energy came out of Yami's extended hand and obliterated the whip half; then Yami destroyed the other whip half. If Yugi had the energy, then he would've gasped after seeing that. Yami then destroyed the dagger before Mr. Motou could pick it up.

Then Mr. Motou picked up Yami's staff and tried to pummel Yami with it. But Yami expertly dodged every attack, making sure that Yugi didn't get hit either. A few minutes later, Yami had had enough and front kicked the staff. The staff fell out of Mr. Motou's hands. Then Yami picked it up before separating it and putting it back on his belt.

In desperation, Mr. Motou lunged at Yami. Yami did a reverse turning roundhouse kick at the man's face. Mr. Motou went flying into one of the trees. He wouldn't be regaining consciousness for a while. Mrs. Motou didnt he first wise thing of her life by not doing anything else against Yami.

"This was only a warning. Don't let me catch you anywhere near Yugi again. He doesn't deserve to be related to you. He deserves much better. I could've done worse than I did already. My samurai training taught me to control my emotions. You should be thankful to my training because I showed you the one thing that you really don't deserve to be shown, especially after what you've done to Yugi, and that is mercy. But if I find out about you doing something like this again, I might not be so merciful," Yami said before wrapping his arm back under Yugi's knees and flying into the air.

He flew swifly and made it back to the Moon clan's village in half an hour. Hikari was waiting for him when he landed. She was extremely worried upon seeing Yugi's broken and bruised body. Yami gently laid Yugi on the ground before using his sword to remove the bloodied rope around Yugi's wrists and feet. Then he gently lifted Yugi up again.

"Let's get him into my hut. I have some healing herbs there," Hikari said.

Yami nodded and followed Hikari into the hut. He then put Yugi down on the floor and let Hikari and some of the other clan members tend to Yugi. Tears that he held back in his eyes were now falling freely. 'If I were a few minutes later in arriving, Yugi would've been killed. I wasn't able to protect him this time,' he thought.

Hikari looked over and saw Yami crying. She instructed the others to continue before walking over to him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I wasn't able to protect him. I gave him my word that I would. But his former parents almost killed him," Yami responded through tears.

"You did protect him," Hikari said.

"How did I protect him?" Yami asked incredulously.

"You said it yourself. They almost killed Yugi. People are going to get hurt Yami. But you didn't let those heartless people kill Yugi, and that is the ultimate way of protection," Hikari responded.

"Y...Yami?" a weak voice then asked.

Yami was immediately by Yugi's side. I'm sorry for letting this happen to you. I wasn't in time to protect you," he said.

"It's...not...your...fault...Yami. You...saved...me. My ex-parents...would've killed...me if...it wasn't...for...you," Yugi said weakly.

Yami smiled and gently hugged Yugi. Yugi returned the hug as best he could in his current state.

"You...did...protect...me," Yugi weakly added.

"Save the little energy that you have. It will take a while for you to completely recover," Hikari said before setting up a futon for Yami. "You can stay here in my hut for the night. Two of the clan's healers will stay in here as well."

"What about you?" Yami asked.

"I'll sleep in someone else's hut. It really doesn't matter where anyone sleeps in this village," Hikari responded.

Yami nodded before gently placing Yugi back down. 'I'll make sure that this doesn't happen again. When you're completely better Yugi, I'll start teaching you how to escape an attacker that has a grip on you,' he thought determinely before just watching over Yugi.

Well, here's the end of chapter 3. Well, it appeared that Yami and Yugi had trouble on all sides didn't it? Now you know what was the worst unwanted cause of trouble, Yugi's own former parents. You will see more of them as the story progresses. Moving right along, preview for Chapter 4: The Possessed Clan: Yugi continues to recover from his almost deadly meeting with his parents. Meanwhile, the most gentle clan in the country is the Wind clan. But half of the members unknowingly venture out into another place that is infested with evil spirits and are possessed. The possessed members of the Wind clan then attack their otherwise good friends of the Moon clan. How will Yami be able to deal with this problem? Stay tuned to find out.


End file.
